Identifying predictors of early childhood caries among Australian children using sequential modelling: Findings from the VicGen birth cohort study

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this birth cohort study was to identify concurrent associations between early childhood caries and putative risk and protective factors. Methods: Data were collected in seven waves over five years. The study outcome measure, d3-6mfs, was modelled in a set of sequential negative binomial regressions that introduced the variables in steps starting from health determinants most distal to the child and ending with the more proximal ones. The goodness of fit of each model at each step was tested using the quasi-likelihood under independence model criterion (QIC). A final model included all significant factors identified in the sequential modelling. Bacterial composition of ..